'69 Camaro SS Pace Car - Leading the Pack

Here at Classic Industries, we're always pleasantly surprised to meet classic car enthusiasts from outside the US. Of course we know that most Americans appreciate vintage muscle cars like the Camaro, but it's nice to see the popularity of these cars is growing overseas, too. Lately, it's becoming more common to meet car guys at our showroom from places like Sweden, Norway, Australia, and the UK. And, just like us, they are passionate about restoring and preserving classic American cars. The love of classic muscle cars is certainly becoming a global phenomenon.

Recently, we saw this beautiful 1969 Camaro SS Pace Carpull into our showroom parking lot, and we walked out to investigate. We soon met the car's owner, Frank Langbein, and noticing his accent, inquired where he was from. Frank came to California all the way from Munich, Germany, and tells us he owns several classic cars, both here in the US and in his home country. Frank bought this particular Camaro five years ago in Las Vegas, along with a 1967 Corvette Sting Ray.

Here's a little backstory on the 1969 Camaro Pace Car, for those not familiar. In 1969, the Camaro was chosen to act as the pace car of the Indianapolis 500, driving laps of the track in front of the race cars before competition began. Two special edition cars were created by Chevy for this purpose—the actual pace car, and a backup car—using white convertible RS/SS models with eye-catching Hugger Orange Z28 stripes and orange houndstooth upholstery. Later, replicas of this design became available to the public under RPO code Z11. Only 3,675 cars were produced with this option, and the Camaro seen here is one of them.

It is easy to see that Frank loves this car, and it's good to see foreign customers sharing in the hobby that we enjoy so much here in America. Frank tells us his American cars really stand out among the many Volkswagens, BMWs, and Mercedes of his home country, and that's the way he likes it. We can't even imagine how many heads he'll be turning once he brings this '69 Pace Car to Germany someday.

A little about Classic

Recognized as the undisputed leader of the Restoration Parts industry, Classic Industries is one of the largest and respected distributors of reproduction, performance and original GM and MOPAR parts and accessories in the industry. Located in Huntington Beach, California, Classic Industries has provided over 1,000,000 customers with parts and accessories they've needed to restore their vehicles for over four decades.